Body Condition Score

1 3 5 7 9
UNDER IDEAL IDEAL OVER IDEAL
1 Ribs visible on shorthaired cats. No palpable fat. 5 Well-proportioned. 6 Ribs palpable with slight excess fat covering.
Severe abdominal tuck. Lumbar vertebrae and wings Observe waist behind ribs. Waist and abdominal fat pad distinguishable but not obvious.
of ilia easily palpated. Ribs palpable with slight fat Abdominal tuck absent.
2 Ribs easily visible on shorthaired cats. Lumbar vertebrae covering. Abdominal fat 7 Ribs not easily palpated with moderate fat covering.
obvious. Pronounced abdominal tuck. No palpable fat. pad minimal. Waist poorly discernible. Obvious rounding of abdomen.
Moderate abdominal fat pad.
3 Ribs easily palpable with minimal fat covering.
Lumbar vertebrae obvious. Obvious waist behind ribs. 8 Ribs not palpable with excess fat covering. Waist absent.
Minimal abdominal fat. Obvious rounding of abdomen with prominent abdominal fat pad.
Fat deposits present over lumbar area.
4 Ribs palpable with minimal fat covering. Noticeable
waist behind ribs. Slight abdominal tuck. Abdominal 9 Ribs not palpable under heavy fat cover.
fat pad absent. Heavy fat deposits over lumbar area, face and limbs.
Distention of abdomen with no waist. Extensive
abdominal fat deposits.
Bjornvad CR, et al. Evaluation of a nine-point body condition scoring system in physically inactive pet cats. AJVR 2011;72:433-437.
Laflamme DP. Development and validation of a body condition score system for cats: A clinical tool. Feline Pract 1997;25:13-18.

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